Christians and Halloween

Sorry for the late posting but my computer has been sick for a couple of days.

I wanted to take some time to address the issue of Halloween and the problems it presents for Christian families. I risk receiving a flood of comments from parents that are on either end of the spectrum concerning their personal convictions regarding this day. Some feel their family has the freedom to participate in the traditional secular activities that surround Halloween. Others have deep convictions that their family should completely refrain from participating in activities on October 31. Hopefully, what I have to share will bring some light to the subject for both groups and everyone in the middle.

Halloween is clearly a pagan holiday. Its origins can be easily traced back to the pagan Celtic festival known as Samhain. I won’t bore you with all the history because that information is easily accessible to everyone. Even many of the seemingly harmless traditions and symbols of the day are rooted in pagan practices and represent evil occult activities. So, I do not believe it is appropriate for Christians to celebrate Halloween or participate in its traditions. Specifically, there a few “off limits” activities I believe families should avoid:

Traditional Trick-or-Treating
Wearing costumes that represent scary or evil people/things
Going to parties that celebrate the day
Watching scary movies
Decorating homes with evil symbols (witches, black cats, jack-o-lanterns, etc.)


However, Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is the guiding verse I would use when it comes to sharing my personal philosophy of a Christian’s response to Halloween. Maybe it’s my personality, but I am not very fond of passive resistance when it comes to the devil. I find it difficult to understand how turning off the house lights and cowering in the living room hoping no children ring the doorbell wanting candy can be seen as “overcoming evil with good.” James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” I am promoting an active resistance where we take the fight to the enemy and show him that he will not steal a day that God has ordained for His glory.

I see Halloween as a great opportunity to let the light of Christ shine during the darkest day of the year. I see it as an opportunity to do things that are good in Christ name on a day when there is evil going on all around us. I see it as an opportunity to take the spotlight off the devil and put it on God where it always belongs, even on October 31. I guess what I am saying is that there are many God-honoring activities Christian families can participate in that do not celebrate the day or follow its traditions.

That brings me to KidzFest. This is the Family Ministry’s alternative event to Halloween. Let me take the rest of this post letting you see why the church hosts such an event. As many of you know, the staff of First Baptist Church is very serious about following biblical principles and bringing glory to God in everything we plan by way of programming and events. Here are some specific reasons why I believe it is not inappropriate for us to have Kidzfest on October 31.

KidzFest is not an event that celebrates the origins and traditions of Halloween. It does not celebrate the day as a holiday rather it uses the day as an opportunity for God’s people to show God’s love on God’s property to families in our church and community. I believe it is a true alternative because the spotlight is on God and the motivation behind it is pure and not evil. Several of our people, including one LifeGroup, will be passing out Gospel tracks and doing personal evangelism during the event (allowing the Light to shine in the darkness).

I hear the question now, “What about Trunk-O-Treating? Isn’t it too much like Trick-or- Treating?” My answer is two-fold. First the origin of what we do started with churches. The idea is that we can give, in this case candy, with the love of Christ, no strings attached. This is unlike the traditional form that began from the pagan belief that leaving food or gifts for spirits would prevent them from playing tricks on people. Second, it gives us an opportunity to minister to our community. We are providing a safe and secure environment for families who otherwise would be taking their children door-to-door on our dark county roads. The safety aspect also extends to reducing the risk of children possibly receiving tainted candy and being exposed to sexual predation.

Finally, it helps the church maintain its witness in the community. Over the years we have seen large numbers of unchurched people attend KidzFest. I have seen first hand how our members have shown unconditional love to those families, especially the children. The kindness and gentleness that is expressed on that night is something God can and will use to speak to the hearts of these unchurched families. As an added benefit, as more and more churches host events like KidzFest, we are seeing a dramatic decline in the number of families participating in the traditional way.

In Matthew 5:15-16 Jesus said “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Even if you do not plan on coming to KidzFest, let me encourage you to let your light shine on October 31. Give out Gospel tracks to the children that come to your door, host a non-Halloween party and invite unchurched neighbors to attend, or do something good like visit a nursing home. I cannot help but believe God will be pleased when his people “overcome evil with good.”

If you want to direct questions to me about the contents of this article please send them to me via email, so I can respond.

Love to all,

David